from seeing the woes that you are causing others to feel. If the evil servant shall say in his heart, 'My Lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware, and shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with hypocrites, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.""

"Well, brother Bradley, I have heard that before, for old Mr. Graham and Lieutenant Morse have been for the last five years throwing bombshells into my encampment, charged with just such passages of Scripture as you have just repeated. But I manage to keep out of their way as much as possible; but when Theodore Williams comes squibbing about, I

try to give him back as good as he sends. He had the impudence to tell me a few days ago, that he that hardeneth his neck or heart, I don't know which 'twas, for it was all the same to me, only one is a little higher than the other, should be destroyed, and that without remedy. He is a smart fellow, but I don't like him, he meddles with that which is none of his business."

"Mr. Radford, you probably think that all who talk to you on this subject do the same."

"Well, I generally let folks talk as they please, and I do as I have a mind to. If I did not manufacture the article, somebody else would. Col. Bertram is as deep in the mud as I am in the mire; he retails as much or more than I do; and Walter tends his bar in spite of his wife or Josephine. He has in his hotel a

pretty good tenant by the name of Swinton. Walter boards at home, so that he can be under his mother's eye a little more. I am told that he already draws pretty hard upon his father's purse-strings, and I think he will still harder, if he keeps on as he commenced; it is necessary to hold him with a close rein, but the Colonel is very indulgent. Shall we call at Lieutenant Morse's ?"

"Not until to-morrow; what little girls are those just outside the gate?"

"The one with the pink sun-bonnet is Florence Bertram, the other is Odora Morse. Odora is the idol of her father and mother. Poor child! she will soon be left without a father, but she will always find friends."

Mr. Bradley said, " God has promised to be a father to the fatherless, this promise will be fulfilled."

Mrs. Radford had waited tea a full half hour, when the gentlemen arrived. As soon as the cloth was removed, Mr. Radford proposed a walk to his new house; the two sisters were soon bonneted and on their way. Mr. and Mrs. Bradley admired the location; the building was indeed a superb one, no pains or expense had been spared in its architecture.

Mrs. Bradley asked her sister what lads those were playing ball opposite them. Mrs. Radford told her that they were Theodore Williams, George Morse, and Walter Bertram.

"Why, I thought they were men, from what I had heard of them."

"Walter thinks he is, since his father has taken him from school and placed him in the hotel; tall as he is, he is not seventeen."

"Dear Affie, I am astonished at Col. Bertram pursuing such a course;

and I should think it would break Mrs. Bertram's heart."

"She does feel very badly; but Walter does not attend to his studies, their motives were good in taking him out; and his father's were no doubt good in making him his barkeeper. Mr. Swinton does most of the business, but Walter has the credit; he is simply employed in the compounding of slings and punch."

"Oh, Affie, he is in the direct road to ruin !"

"I am convinced of that, Amelia, and I think his mother has fearful apprehensions, but she will do all in her power to counteract the influence. They talk of sending him away to school, but unless there is a change in him, it will be useless. He takes as much pride in showing the key of the bar, which he carries, as Theodore does in reciting his Greek and Latin,